Abstract
This research proposal examines the failure of Egypt’s democratic transition and peace process in the aftermath of the 2011 revolution that ousted President Hosni Mubarak. Despite initial optimism, Egypt’s experiment with democracy was short-lived, as the military reclaimed power in 2013. Under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Egypt has seen a rollback of civil liberties gained after the revolution. This proposal analyzes the factors that contributed to the derailment of Egypt’s transition, including the controversial role of the military, protests by Mubarak loyalists, and the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood under Mohamed Morsi. It argues that Egypt’s stalled democratic transition and return to authoritarianism demonstrates the challenges facing movements for reform in the Middle East. Investigating Egypt’s post-revolutionary trajectory provides insights into questions of democracy, stability, and peace in the region. In 2011, mass protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square led to the dramatic ouster of Egypt’s longtime authoritarian ruler, President Hosni Mubarak. For many Egyptians, Mubarak’s fall represented a new era of democratic openness after decades of repression under emergency law. However, Egypt’s post-revolutionary transition ultimately failed. Following controversial elections, the Muslim Brotherhood under Mohamed Morsi assumed power in 2012. Morsi’s year-long presidency provoked protests and unrest. In 2013, the military removed Morsi in a coup d’état, arresting Muslim Brotherhood leaders and banning the party (Grewal, 2019). The military commander Abdel Fattah el-Sisi took power and has ruled in an increasingly autocratic fashion, stifling dissent. This research analyzes why Egypt’s attempt at democratic transition after Mubarak failed. It investigates the interplay of actors destabilizing Egypt’s politics after the euphoria of 2011.
Research Questions
This research will investigate the following questions:
- What factors caused the derailment of Egypt’s democratic transition in the aftermath of the 2011 revolution?
- How did pro-Mubarak elements in the judiciary, military, and civil service impede the Transition?
- What role did the Muslim Brotherhood play in alienating secular activists who initially supported democratic reforms?
- How did initial optimism about Egypt’s political opening dissipate into further unrest and polarization?
- What lessons does Egypt’s stalled democratic experiment provide about prospects for democratization in the Arab world?
Literature Review
Scholarly analysis of Egypt’s transitional period reveals debates over the root causes of its failures. Some studies fault the lingering power of the military and security services for subverting political reforms. Al-Mohammad (2019) argues that the “deep state” apparatus used Mubarak-style repression against Islamists and liberals alike to preserve its privileges. McDougall (2010) provides background on the authoritarian structures embedded during Mubarak’s long rule. Other scholars emphasize mistakes by the Muslim Brotherhood leadership. Elyachar (2014) argues that Morsi needlessly alienated non-Islamists by asserting unilateral control rather than building coalitions. Bayat (2015) analyzes the class and ideological divisions that fractured Egypt’s revolutionary bloc. Recent works examine public disillusionment with the fruits of the Arab Spring. Grewal (2019) contends that Morsi’s ouster resulted partly from Egyptians’ frustration with ongoing economic woes. Miller (2021) theorizes that failed expectations following the revolution were one impetus for Egypt’s authoritarian turn.
Methodology
This research will utilize a qualitative case study approach. It will draw on primary sources, including political speeches, Egyptian media reports, public opinion polls, and ideological tracts from Egyptian political factions to reconstruct the post-revolutionary milieu. Memoirs and interviews with participants in protests will provide eyewitness perspectives. Government documents and international observers’ reports will be analyzed to assess the transition process. Secondary academic scholarship will contextualize Egypt’s trajectory in relation to democratization theory and the Arab Spring.
Significance
Examining Egypt’s turbulent politics following Mubarak’s fall provides insight into the possibilities and pitfalls of democratic transitions after mass revolts against autocracy. Authoritarian regimes across the Middle East employ similar strategies to suppress civil society and neutralize opponents. This study’s analysis of how pro-Mubarak elements undercut democratization can illuminate the challenges facing reform movements in other regional contexts. With democracy’s apparent global retreat, examining a pivotal failed transition like Egypt’s is crucial for scholars seeking to understand how open societies collapse and regress to renewed authoritarianism.
References
Al-Mohammad, H. (2019). What Is the “Preparation” in the Preparing for Death? New Confrontations with Death and Dying in Iraq. Current Anthropology, 60(6), 796-812.
Bayat, A. (2015). Plebeians of the Arab Spring. Current Anthropology, 56(S11), S33-S43.
Elyachar. Julia. 2014. “Upending Infrastructure: Tamarod. Resistance, and Agency. after the January 25th Revolution in Egypt.” History and Anthropology_25 (4):452-71
Grewal, S. (2019). Tunisian democracy at a crossroads. Brookings Institute Briefing, accessed at https://www. brookings. edu/research/tunisian-democracy-at-a-crossroads/on, 8.
McDougall, J. (2010). Histories of Heresy and Salvation: Arabs, Berbers, Community and the State. Berbers and others: beyond tribe and nation in the Maghrib, 15-38.
Miller, A. (2021). “I Do Not Forgive!” Hope and Refusal in Tunisia’s Democratic Transition. Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, 41(2), 205-221.
Sluka, J. A., Zedong, C. G., Minh, H. C., Giap, V. N., & Barry, T. (2010). Losing Hearts and Minds in the ‘‘War on Terrorism’’. Iraq at a Distance: What Anthropologists Can Teach Us About the War, 106.
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